And 'nuts' to you too!

Hertfordshire Mercury, 29th January 1916

Transcript

William Edward Broome, 45, of Turkey Street, Enfield Highway, was employed as a carman by the Enfield Highway Co-operative Society.  He was charged with stealing 2 cwt. of coal, value 3s 2d.

The Assistant Secretary to the Society said that the defendant had been sent out on the 12th January with 35 cwt of coal.  He had been instructed to load half a ton of kitchen cobbles, and one and a quarter tons of kitchen nuts.  He had been given the tickets for delivery.

Mrs Bromley, of New River Nurseries, Turnford, said that the defendant had come to her property and had left the coal that had been ordered, but that she had been asked if she could do with an extra sack.  Mrs Bromley had agreed, and had asked for it to be entered on the bill, but the defendant had just said “No, pay me 1s 6d for it”.  Her husband, however, wrote it on the ticket.  When the ticket was produced in Court, the witness said that the additional entry on the ticket had been rubbed off.

Det. Sgt. Edwards told the Court that, when arrested, the defendant had said “All right, I had one over and I sold it at the nursery for 1s 6d.”  On the way to the police station, the prisoner had said “I am sorry.  They might have given me the chance to pay for it.  I had an extra sack on and did not wish to take it back.  It’s no use crying – I must put up with it.”  When charged, the prisoner had said “I had the 18 pence and put it in my pocket”.

The prisoner had been previously convicted for embezzlement at Enfield Court in 1905, and had received two months’ hard labour.  The Bench said that this was a bad case, and that the prisoner was employed by a Society that paid its employees well.  The Bench confirmed that the sentence was to be repeated, and thus sent the defendant to prison for a further two months’ hard labour.

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